The Seattle Seahawks will have a clear matchup win even before they take to the field for Week 16’s NFC West decider against the Los Angeles Rams, an advantage the NFL’s leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, can exploit on Thursday Night Football by targeting “physical disadvantages.”
That’s the phrase used by Nate Atkins of The Athletic to sum up the one “nagging concern” about the Rams otherwise staunch defense. As Atkins explained, “Los Angeles has the lowest-paid defense in the NFL, and a key to it was supposed to be Quentin Lake rotating from nickel cornerback to strong safety to free safety to disguise coverages. With him on injured reserve, and with former top cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon not responding well after his own surgery, Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Cobie Durant have been left on too many islands for their physical disadvantages.”
Cornerbacks who are less than dominant physically being asked to guard Smith-Njigba one on one is a mismatch the Seahawks can’t ignore at Lumen Field. They made the most of the same edge when these two teams met at SoFi Stadium back in Week 11, but a big day for Smith-Nijigba was wasted by one to forget for quarterback Sam Darnold during a 21-19 defeat.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Already Knows How to Boss the Rams
Smith-Njigba consistently burned Durant and Co. in the first meeting. Darnold’s go-to receiver amassed 105 yards on 12 catches.
The Seahawks need a repeat, or something similar, of those numbers this week. It shouldn’t be a problem for a wideout who leads the league with 12 100-yard games since the start of last season, according to StatMuse.
Smith-Njigba is consistently topping the century mark because he’s beating coverage in multiple ways, including as a growing vertical threat. The 23-year-old is averaging career-highs for 16.1 yards per reception and running 11.3 yards before catch per reception, per Pro Football Reference.
Stopping No. 11 is a problem the Rams haven’t been able to solve. He dominated with seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns the last time these two teams met at Lumen Field.
That stellar outing included this impressive grab on 4th-and-5.
📺: #LARvsSEA on FOX 📱: t.co/waVpO909ge
More highlights followed this season, courtesy of this one-handed snag, applauded by NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger. A lot of these plays came against other covering defenders, but Forbes might be a better matchup.
Seahawks Have the Right Matchup
Forbes has been repairing his reputation after rating as a first-round draft flop for the Washington Commanders, but he’s still somebody the Seahawks can exploit. A completion percentage of 60 against Forbes should encourage Smith-Njigba, as should the corner allowing 367 air yards on 39 completions, to go with 197 yards after catch, according to Pro Football Reference.
It’s on offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to find creative ways to isolate Smith-Njigba against Forbes. Doing so is the best way to overcome the slow starts causing Kubiak frustration.
The bigger concern will be protecting Darnold and having him make smart choices with the ball. He did neither in the first game, throwing four interceptions, but Darnold is determined to correct those mistakes this time.
Leaning into his already prolific connection with Smith-Njigba, particularly whenever Forbes is in coverage, is the path to redemption for Darnold and the Seahawks.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Can Target Rams ‘Physical Disadvantages’